Recently, as part of a minor reorganization, I have become a member of new group in my department whose task is provide early evaluation of emerging technologies as they relate to education. In that same time frame, I have taken on a new hobby of wood working with a focus on furniture making. It struck me that these two things have quite a bit in common.
THE PLAN
Form and function are the two major components of furniture design. Having a solid idea of what you would like the final piece to look like goes hand and hand in with what the purpose of product is. When design compliments function and function influences design, the outcome is sure to be successful. A neat looking piece of furniture will be rendered useless if it does not serve the purpose it is meant to perform. At the same time, an ugly piece of furniture that performs a function adequately will most likely grow tiresome to look at and to use.
For my first furniture design project I chose to make a TV stand for our living room. Previously we had been using a coffee table and while it was functional it was very unpleasant to look. All the wires from the cable box and video game systems were exposed and the boxes themselves were stacked on top of one another. This is obviously because a coffee table was never designed to serve the function we were using it for. So, we had a clear need for something with a better design even though we had something that did serve the purpose.
The same holds true when implementing new technology into teaching and learning. The technology should be designed to compliment a function and hopefully that function has influenced the design. If so, the result will be a technology that improves teaching and learning. If either form or function is lacking, then the results will most likely be a regression or hinderance to existing teaching and learning practices.
Both with furniture building and technology implementation, a detailed plan, that examines both form and function, should be developed before moving on to the next step.
THE MEASURING
Measuring is a close cousin to planning. Not only does it aide you in the amount of materials you need; saving cost, but it also can prevent you from making a mistake in scale; saving time and money. The old adage ‘measure twice, cut once’ is extremely important in wood working. There’s no ‘ctrl z’ or ‘undo’ once saw is put to board.
Measuring also gives you a chance to evaluate your plan against what materials and tools are available to you. It does you no good if plan calls for materials you can’t get or involves tools you can’t afford.
For my TV stand, I needed the overall size of the piece to fit along the wall where it was to be placed. I also needed accurate measurements to accommodate several components inside the stand as well. With those measurements in mind, and my design plan, I was able to estimate the amount of materials needed to accomplish the project.
I also decided that I was not going to use the finest of materials or buy the top of the line tools. There was a high chance of failure here, given my amateur furniture building status, therefore I felt it wiser to proceed in my plan with minimal investment. I also was unsure if this would be a one and done project in this new found hobby of mine.
Measuring is equally important with technology evaluation as well. Typically teaching and learning activities are run with some amount of budget restrictions. The monetary considerations of a technology adoption will always be a factor. The scale of a technology adoption must also be considered, not only in the monetary sense, but also in the numbers served by said technology. A technology with high costs that serves low numbers will always be less appealing than a technology that serves many at a low cost.
If you planned and measured properly, you can continue on to the next phase with confidence.
THE CUTTING
With a solid plan and measurements in place, it’s time to start gathering the pieces needed to build your project. When working with wood, you most likely will not be able to buy the exact size of boards that you need. You will need to either trim them down or combine them before actual construction can begin. If your planning and measuring has been well thought out you should know exactly where you need to cut and you should not be left with many scraps after cutting.
After planning and measuring, I determined that all the pieces I needed to cut out would fit on three 4 foot by 8 foot pieces of plywood. This was a material type and size that I knew was readily available at our local home improvement store. After the cutting, I was left with only one strip of excess.
This was also my first chance to evaluate the quality of tools I chose to purchase. For the most part, I found that the medium level tools served my purpose just as well as more expensive tools would have.
Like boards to wood working, it is unlikely that a technology will ever be perfectly tailored to a teaching and learning function out of the box. Most technologies are developed for other, often more broad, purposes. This is when it is important to know what to use and what to leave behind. If what is being left behind is too much scrap then maybe the design of the technology doesn’t fit the function as well as you have planned. However, if a broader technology can be trimmed to the point were there is not much waste, then it might be the right tool for the job.
THE CLAMP and GLUE
With all the pieces measured and cut it was now time to start putting them together in the shape of my planned design. This is where you can start to test your design for strength and durability. Will my design be strong enough to perform it’s function?
All the pieces for my TV stand went together fairly flawlessly. The scale seemed to be what I had measured and planned for and the strength appeared to be more than sufficient.
Strength testing technology, for teaching and learning, comes with user testing. The technology must be put in the hands of the desired end user to really know if it has the power to perform it’s desired function.
If flaws are found during or after strength testing it might be time to head to The Redesign phase however if both design and function are performing according to the original plan then you can skip ahead to The Finishing phase.
THE REDESIGN?
If either form, function or durability appear to be lacking at this point you might find yourself here in the redesign phase. You might have assembled your piece of furniture only to find it does not fit in the space allotted or it is too small to accommodate the desired peripherals. You might find that it looks nice but has structural flaws that will prevent it from performing it’s duty or perhaps it looks like hell but could withstand hurricane force winds.
The good news is, despite the flaws, if you have been following this process, you should be able to pinpoint in what phase your error occurred. In turn, you should know which phase you need to revisit in order to rectify the situation.
Unfortunately, I realized at this point that my TV stand had a fatal flaw. While the design was visually appealing and the structure was sufficiently strong the combination of the two was creating a far heavier piece of furniture that I had intended on creating. So heavy in fact, that I had fears of being able to move it from my basement, where it was being constructed, to my living room on the first floor of my house.
After many hours of contemplation, I decided that the flaw occurred in the design and planning phase and saw no alternative but to scrap the entire project and start again.
Same checks apply for technology. If the design of the technology is unfriendly or if it does not perform its function properly or if during usability testing it proves too weak in the hands of the end user, then it might be time to return to the phase of the flaw or possibly abandon the technology all together.
THE FINISHING
When furniture is constructed in a visually appealing manor, is structurally sound, and perfectly performs the function it was designed to do, it is time for some finishing touches. Whether it be stain, paint, varnish or veneer, fancy knobs or wooden handles, it’s these finishing touches that will help polish the piece into a work you can be proud of and present in front of others.
After redesigning my TV stand I was able to reduce the materials used, reducing the overall weight of the project, and add some little details that I hadn’t thought to add during the first go round. We decided to add some rounded edges and do a two toned stained finish.
Lessons learned in the original process were very valuable during the redesign.
The final roll out of a technology for teaching and learning requires finishing touches as well. How a technology is branded and marketed for example, can have great impact on it’s success and lifespan.
THE EVALUATION
Whether it’s a piece of furniture or implementation of a new technology, it is always important to step back and take a good hard ‘objective’ look at both the finished project and the process that went into it. Great lessons can be learned through looking back on what went right, what went wrong and what could be improved so that ultimately the next project will be bigger and better!
For me, that next project was a bar. Believe me, after all this furniture building, and this winter, I need a drink.
DrC says
Zac, do you know about https://doinggoodwithwood.org/about/ in State College?…Roy
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